Refrigerated container



refe'nred Feb. z5, 193e y UNITED srArEs PATENI OFI-'lcs f cKEsrrEn A'. BAKER, OE OMAHA, NEBRASKA, AssIqNoa 'ro EAKEE ICE MAcnnvE co.,

INC., OE OMAHA, NEEEAsKA, A CORPORATION ory NEBRASKA heat leakage.

\ f EEEEIGERATED CONTAINER.vv

i t Application mea october e, 192s. serial No. 310,812.v

My invention relates to refrigerating de-A vices and more particularly to refrigerators adapted for employing ice lfor cooling puroses, the principal objects of the invention eing to reduce the amount ofy ice necessary for retaining a cooled area at a desired' low temperature, to isolate the ice from gases warmed by'contact with material to be cooled', and to move air and odors from the cooled area.

Further objects are topromptly remove warm air leaking into thecoolcd area and to prevent warm a1r that may jenter the cooled area from contacting the ice, and thereby pre-- vent reduction inrefrigerating efficiency by Ice comprising a solidilied gas such as carbon iqxide evaporating directly to a' gas without a liquid phase, may be used as a re Afrigerating medium. Further objects ofthe invention therefore are to promote a circulationof gas from dry ice over material to be cooled, to cause the gas to move air and odors from the cooled area, and also to limit the rate ofmovement ofthe gas according to the amount of warm air leaking into the' refri erator whereby the refrigerant gas may e retained for maximum utilization in withdrawing heat from the material.

In faccomplishiig these and other objects of the invention, have provided improved details of structure, the prefe redl forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: vx f Fig. 1 isa central vertical sectional view ofa `refrigerator embodying my invention the lower ends of gies vent pipes and afood container being bro en away to disclose structure.

Fig. 2 i`s a plan view from beneath of the bottom of a case-like lid and an ice support hin ed to the lid.

' ig. 3'is a cross sectionA of the refrigerator on the line 3 3, Fig. 1.' e

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical central sectional view of a valvedgasoutlet lin the lid.

Referring in detail to the drawings 1 designates an insulated housing including a vertical wall 2 and a bottom 3ofsuitablel shape, for examplecylindrical, to receive maftend in the recess.

terial that may be supported in a container 4 in spaced relation with 'the vertical wall,

the container being. preferably supported above the bottomby a spider-like bracket-/ and I egs 6. A lid 7 closes the upper end of the housing, and includes va ring 8 overlying the v for positioning thev container,\an`d cool fluid may pass through the channels and be restrained therein in contact with the container to withdraw heat therefrom and retain the same at a relatively low temperature.

-The .partitions referably comprise conduits into which the uid moves for passage away from the channels.

. The invention is especially ada ted for the use of dry ice such as solidified carlhon dioxide and will be described as applied to such use.

'the upper end of the container and sup orted from the wall ofthe housing and is a apted for the assage of evaporatmg gas from the block'of) dry ice downwardly over the -container. The conduits extend vertically in the channels 9, with their lower ends provided with openings 12 adjacent the bottom of the housing and their upper ends extending above the shelf,*so that gas after vpassing downwardl over the container may moveinto the conduit to be conducted'away from the hous- Vhen the gas is to be conducted u wardly through the conduits, the bottom of t v e hous- An ice shelf 11 is mounted preferably above/A ing is completely closed, and the conduits and lid are adapted for the movement ofused gas out of the housing. The conduits havea total i capacit much less than the capacity of the channe s.

The lid 7 has arecess13 in its lower side I and the inner liner 14 thereof has an extended flange 15 adapted to overlie the inner vertical 'face of the upper end ofthe housin when the lid is positioned thereon, and the ice supporting s elf is preferabl supported from theange so that the bloc of ice 16 will ex- The shelf preferably comprises a door or leaf having perforations 17 and hin ed at 18 toan annulus 19 having its perip ery`attached to the flange and being provided with openings 2O `for mounting the annulus over the upper ends of the conduits; the leaf filling the opening 21jof the annulus, whereby when the lid isremoved, a block ofice may be iny' sei-'ted through the annulus opening and the leaf may be closefI- and latched by the latch 22 to support the block-in the recess, when the lid is mounted on the housing.

An outlet opening 23 in the apex of the lid is provided with a valve 24: for controlled flow of gas from the housing. The outlet comprises a vertical tube 25 and a lateral branch 26, the valve 24 being a ball and being restrgained by a cap 27 at the upper .end of the tu e. y

In operating a refrigerator constructed in accordance with the illustrated application of the invention to the use of dry ice, the

food to be cooled is installed in the housing, for example in the cylindrical container, and

i state moves downwardly through the aperthe freshly evaporated gas in thel channels tures of the supporting shelf over the container and through the channels between the container and the housing tothe bottom of the housing, absorbing heat from the container. -The gas then passes through the openings in the lower ends of the conduits to move upwardly and into the lid, where itmoves over the arcuate inner lining and out of contact with the block of ice toward the valved opening at the apex of the lid and so outwardly to atmosphere.

The downwardly moving column of cool gas hugs the surface of the container and also substantially fillsv the channels and moves air and warmed gas into the lower end openings of the conduits, thereby venting the air, warmed gasand odors together. Since the total .cross sectional area of the Vconduits materially lessv than the total cross sectional area of the channels, and the two elements are substantially the same length, balance is ap- .Y 55. n wardly moving streams of gas 1n the channels proached between the pres-sure of the downand the upwardly moving columns of slightly warmer gas in the tubes, tending to restrain and in contact with the container.

. y The warmer columns of gas rise into the upper area of the lid and-- relatively slight pressure therefrom tends to operate the outletl valve.;` f, 'i f Whenjthe refrigerant has reduced the temperature of lthe container substantially and the gaseous mixture in the u per ends of the conduits and upper area o the lid Yare at the housing and substantially only enough outwardmovement of vented glas will occur to permit; freshly evaporated gas to move downwardly over the container.

The conduits receiving refrigerant gas that has passed over the container isolate the used gas from the containerand from the freshly evaporated gas.

A further advantage of the withdrawal of the used gas from the channel and from contact with the container consistsy of the fact that any relatively warm air leaking into the housing is promptly removed from the channels and from the surface of the container a nd carried by the gas into the conduits. 'ihe warm air leakage is not only thus promptly removed from the cooling chambers but is restrained from contact with the refrigerant, since the vented products moving from the upper ends of the conduits pass along the surface of the to lining and do not come in of odors'in the stale air which would be conheat leakage in this manner, it is unnecessary I for the refrigerant to absorb it and thus the amount of evaporation needed to keep a cold space cold is only that required to keep up a flow of gas through the vents large enough to carry the heat leakage with it, the gas passing out at a maximum temperature of the space. In other Words, the incoming heat is carried out at .the highest possible temperature, which may be'decidedly higher (80 C.

or more) than the temperature vof the evaporating solid itself as contrasted with the case of water ice, for the liquid water leaving the refrigerator is at ornear the'temperature of the-melting ice itself and hence must remove heat at the lowest 'feasible temperature dif- Iferential, and in addition there is always the accumulation of undesirable odors in the necessarily confined au'.

ters Patent is:

1. In a refrigerating device of the character described, a refrigerant-containing chamer, a container chamber located below the rst named chamber and having vertical guides for spacing the container from the What I claim and desire to secure by Let-v chamberwalls. and forming vertical channels for gravity movement of refrigerant fluid through said channels, and means including a tube communicating with the lower end of -the cooling chamber for passage of -fluid from the channels.

-2. A refrigerator comprising a housing adapted to contain food in spaced relation with the inner wall thereof, a hollow lid for sealingly closing the housing, means for supporting a refrigerating medium for downward movement of fluid from the medium between the .food and the housing walls, and

'Y means including a tube extending in the housing for conducting fluid from the housmg..

scribed,a food-containing housing compris-l ing a vertical wall having a plurality of vertical gas passages, means for supporting a gas-evolving refrigeratiiigl medium at the upper end ofthe housing for movement of refrigerating gas through the passages, and means communicating with selected passages for conductingv gas from the housing.

4. 'In-a refrigerating device of the character described, a housing, a container in the housing, means spacing the container from 3. In( a refrigerator ofthe character lde devicerof the characber, means for supporting refrigerant at the top ofthe container, and open end tubes forming passages in the annular chamber and whereby gas evolved from the-refrigerant is directed downwardly through said pas- '10 sages and upwardly throughsaid tubes.

8. A container of the character described including an outer housing having a closed bottom, an inner container spaced from the side walland bottom of the housing, formingan annular chamber and a bottom chamber,

a dished lid for the top of the housing having an apertured floor forming a chamber for dry ice, tubes in spaced relation in said annular chamber open at their respective ends to said bottom chamber and to the chamber in said lid and forming passages in sai'd annular chamber whereby gases evolved from ice in the ice chamber maypass down through said passages and return through said tubes, and a valved gas outlet in said lid. In testlmony whereof I affix my signature.

CHESTER A. BAKER.

neceive acontainer spaced from the walls thereof, a hollow lid for the housing, having a valved outlet, a perforate .plate hinged to the lid for supporting a block ofl dry ice above the container for movement of evaporating gas downwardly over the contalner, and means, including a tube extending between the container and th wall of the housing for conducting gas from the lower `portion of the housing into the hollow'lid for passage through the valved outlet. s l A6. In a refrigerating deviceof the characdescribed, a housing, a hollow lidfor' thehouse "Having a .valved gas evolved fromv said ice downwardlyr through said housing,.and means communi:

gas outlet, a shelf hingedly` engaged with t \ing;a block of dry ice, means for conducting eating with said downconductin means and e lid for supportwith the hollow lid for exhausting" said gas Y throu h the-lid.- A y 7. container of the characterdescribed 'including an outer` housing having a closed bottom, an inner'cont'ainer spaced from the' sidewall and bottom of the housing, forming an annular chamber and a bottom cham- 

